Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a route guidance apparatus and a route guidance method that navigates a route of a vehicle to a destination for manual driving or automated driving.
Description of Related Art
Patent Literature 1 aims at providing an automated driving apparatus for vehicle that is capable of smoothly operating transition from automated driving to manual driving while simplifying the facility (paragraph [0004] and abstract).
To achieve the purpose, in Patent Literature 1 (abstract), an automated driving ECU 2 of an automated driving device 1 has an express highway setting part 10 for setting an express highway section where a vehicle should travel among all routes to the destination by using road map information stored in a map database 16, an evacuation area setting part 11 for setting a PA (final PA) just before an exit IC in the express highway section as an evacuation area, an automated driving relay spot setting part 12 for setting a spot before the final PA in the express highway section as a relay spot for starting relay from automated driving to manual driving, and an automated driving operation control part 15 for controlling the vehicle to perform automated driving with the evacuation area as the destination when an automated driving switch 5 is switched on.
Also, in Patent Literature 1, the own vehicle A is forcibly stopped in the evacuation area B (final PA) if the driver falls asleep (paragraphs [0028] and [0029]).
Patent Literature 2 aims at setting an arbitrary location as a destination of an automated driving control and finishing automated driving at the most preferable location conforming the actual shape or structure of each interchange (paragraph [0007]).
To achieve the purpose, the automated travelling control system of Patent Literature 2 (abstract) includes a computerized road information reproducing means that reproduces computerized road information, a position detecting means that detects the position of the own vehicle, a planned travelling route setting means that sets the planned travelling route of the own vehicle to the destination specified based on the reproduced computerized road information, and an automated driving control means that controls automated driving along the set planned travelling route. The automated driving control system further includes a control point setting means that sets an entrance point for entering the automated travelling control and an exit point for exiting the automated travelling control.
Patent Literature 2 can set an interchange A on the express highway as a destination or a departure point (paragraph [0016] and FIG. 4). Also, Patent Literature 2 mentions technology that performs guidance by audio output of a message, etc. at a location before a point at which course change is required such as an intersection (paragraph [0002]).